1 . Driving on the mountain road where I live can be both a delight and an adventure. Yet, you should also watch for deer and squirrels _______ the road as well as fallen trees and rocks that may break loose from and _______down the side of the hill.

I _______ upon one big rock just the other day. I saw a car just ahead of me narrowly turn around it. But the stone was _______ there, which might cause traffic accidents. I turned round and then _______ over to a wide spot. I knew a rock of this _______ would break parts of a low riding car like mine if the driver didn’t see it _______. So I walked over and moved the huge stone. It must have weighed 50 pounds, but with all my strength, I removed it. I felt relieved and walked back to my car.

The happening reminded me too of an old _______ I had read once: In a faraway land, a king had placed a huge rock on the way to his palace. Many nobles walked by and surrounded it, complaining that the king didn’t keep the road up better. Finally, a _______ farmer pulling a cart (马车) of vegetables arrived. He ________ and pushed the rock off the road. Then he saw under it was a bag of gold coins that the king had left for the one who ________the path for those who came after. Later, he was not as badly off as before.

Now while there wasn’t any ________ under the rock I moved, my heart did feel more ________as I was driving back home. Maybe the real ________ is the joy we spread, and the ________ we share.

2 . January 23, 2007 became a nightmare for Jessica Bachus. Her second daughter Kenzi _________ at just 24 weeks. “When Kenzi passed away, all my hopes went away, too,” Jessica says. The Colorado-based mother was overcome with emotion, _________ she eventually decided to channel her grief into the _________ of Kenzi.

Jessica knew that even if she couldn’t give dolls to both of her daughters that year, she could still make the holidays _________ for another girl. With the help of her husband, Kyle, and their daughter, Bailey, she _________ 150 dolls to gift underprivileged girls in the community.

“When I saw a family _________ a doll we donated, I cried tears of joy for the first time in almost a year,” Jessica says. So, she _________ to collect dolls and founded the Dolls for Daughters, a nonprofit organization dedicated to _________ financially-strapped families in Colorado with toys, food, school supplies, and more.

Now going into its ninth annual _________, the Dolls for Daughters operates five toy shops in Colorado on the first Saturday in December. Parents are able to choose at least one new gift for each of their children free of charge.

“Most families in our __________ make less than $15,000 a year,” Jessica says. “Many children are used to getting hand-me-downs — this is one time we guarantee that what they get is __________.” Since the establishment of the Dolls for Daughters, more than 48,000 children have been __________ and more than 323,400 items have been gifted to the families.

Jessica and her husband now have four children — Bailey, Kam, Karson, and Kenzi. “We talk about Kenzi all the time. Last year our goal was to serve 10,000 kids since she would have been ten. It was a big __________ and we surpassed it,” Jessica says. “For our living children, volunteering is a great way for them to __________ back, honor their sister, and learn that even from the greatest tragedy can come something __________.”

3 . I devote myself to music because of my grandmother. My mum and I lived with my grandparents from the time I was two until I was eight. And even then, I was at their house before and after school every day while my mother was _______. 

Grandma loved music. It was she that first _______ me to Elvis Presley as a very young child, and once I heard his music, I was truly in_______with it. Most five-year-olds ask for toys for birthdays, but I wanted Elvis’ albums. I would play them non-stop and _______ to the music in my grandma’s family room though my movements didn’t look_______. 

Grandma played the piano and _______ me to sing “America the Beautiful” and “Somewhere over the Rainbow”. I finally started playing music on the piano, and soon grandma was paying for me to take piano lessons from a lady living in the _______. I would come home from_______ and walk there for my lesson. I _______ took about nine months of lessons, but it was enough to give me a foundation and allow me to continue to teach myself. 

Last month when I came home to visit grandma in the hospital, I brought along my guitar with me. She was in great pain, but the music seemed to__________ her soul. She had me sing some songs and when I started to sing “Somewhere over the Rainbow”, her weakened voice__________ in with mine for a few lines. That experience was one of the most __________ of my lifetime and one I will certainly cherish forever. I told her of my music career and she was very __________ and said, “That’s wonderful!” I __________ to play for her throughout the week I was home. 

My grandma passed away two days ago. In my opinion, part of her will live on through every __________ I write or sing for her in my life.

4 . When I was little, I spent much time at my grandfather's house, watching him paint all day long. What I remember most was how he _______ painting old ships.

As I grew up, we hardly _______ . I noticed he didn't really _______ much anymore. About a year ago, he had a heart attack. In and out of the _______ for a while, he recovered but was still _______ ,moving around his house in a wheelchair.

Then, I started _______ his house and we began to talk more. We discussed life and our interests. Every time I _______ , he wanted to talk a lot. I figured he was lonely and enjoyed the _______ . Wondering why he didn't start painting again, I made it a point to casually (不经意地) _______ it when I came over, telling him often that he should paint again.

It ________ ! He started sending me to buy paint and poster boards. He asked me about colors and ________ me his paintings. I loved the way he painted the ________ ships. He looked happier. Painting seemed to have brought back some ________ part of him.

Cleaning for my grandpa has brought us closer. Despite his seventy-five years of age, I ________ to discourage him from painting. Days like these are ________ , and I enjoy the little moments.